A 32-year-old woman has died and two other cyclists have been seriously injured after a car collided with a group of cyclists on Gungahlin Drive in Canberra’s north on Thursday morning, August 27, 2026.
ACT Policing said emergency services were called at about 6:20 a.m. after reports that a vehicle had struck cyclists travelling along Gungahlin Drive between Wells Station Drive and Kosciuszko Avenue in Palmerston.
Bystanders and ACT Ambulance Service paramedics immediately began providing first aid to those involved. Despite those efforts, the 32-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other cyclists were taken to hospital. Police said one, a 34-year-old man, remained in critical condition, while another, a 39-year-old man, was treated and later released from hospital.
Police said the vehicle involved was a blue Hyundai Accent and that its 40-year-old female driver remained at the scene and was assisting investigators. No charges had been announced in the information released by police.
The crash prompted a major emergency response involving ACT Policing, ACT Fire & Rescue and the ACT Ambulance Service. Gungahlin Drive was closed in both directions between Wells Station Drive and The Valley Avenue while emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene. Authorities urged motorists to avoid the area and use alternative routes.
The woman who died was reportedly a member of the Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club. The club said it was exploring support options for members following the tragedy. Cycling advocacy organisation Pedal Power ACT also expressed its condolences and urged the community not to speculate about the circumstances while the investigation continues. (
ACT Police Detective Inspector Mark Steel described the scene encountered by responding officers as extremely confronting and acknowledged members of the public, including an off-duty nurse and an off-duty police officer, who stopped to assist the injured cyclists before emergency crews arrived.
The woman’s death is the 10th fatality recorded on ACT roads in 2026, according to police
ACT Road Policing’s Major Collision Team is investigating the circumstances of the crash. Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or captured footage of the incident, including dashcam footage of the blue Hyundai before the crash, to contact Crime Stoppers ACT and quote reference number 8482533.
Authorities have not yet released the identity of the woman who died, and investigators have not publicly determined what caused the vehicle to collide with the cyclists.
The fatal crash has sent shockwaves through Canberra’s cycling community, leaving the victim’s family and friends facing an unimaginable loss while two other riders recover from serious injuries.
As investigators continue examining the evidence, authorities are asking the public to allow the facts of the case to emerge through the formal investigation rather than relying on unverified claims.
Our thoughts are with the woman’s family, the injured cyclists and everyone affected by this devastating Canberra road tragedy.
